The present invention relates to computer input devices. In particular, the present invention relates to computer mice. A computer mouse, as a tool for interacting with a computer has two basic functions, which may be defined as follows:                a) localizing a point/area/object on a screen of the output device in a visual form such as a cursor, a pointer or the like by manually moving a mouse with a mouse movement sensing system for providing mouse movement signals; and        b) producing control signals at the point/area/object on the screen by depressing a button coupled to the mouse with the user's finger, and, correspondingly, closing a respective control switch connected to the button thereby actuating commands in accordance with the program module/application.        
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various mouse movement sensing system alternatives are well known and available, such as mice with optical sensors for sensing mouse movements relative to the working surface, as well as, mice with conventional rotatable ball mouse movement signal generators. The graphic user interface (GUI) functions of a mouse, the electronic components and the hardware and software interface between a manually operated computer mouse and various connecting PC's and/or other computer systems are well known. Likewise, the internal circuitry of the mouse may also be of various known or conventional types.
The present invention relates to computer input devices for entering commands into a computer, based on the location of the cursor, which can be placed and actuated on the screen by moving an input device across a working surface and actuating buttons, and more particularly, to an ergonomically improved mouse. Some background concepts based on unproven ergonomic criteria, such as providing the support for a user's hand plane to reduce the loads on large muscle groups of the user's arm and shoulder have initially determined the evolution of the form of mice. For example, Microsoft Co. has disclosed in EP 0 591 961 A1 the form of the pointing device, which “allows users to position the lower palm on a work surface, such that the hand plane is supported by the pointing device, and to rest the fingers in a neutral posture to control the keys without having to compress or reach.” Thereby, the finger's “neutral posture” is provided. However, large muscle groups of the user's arm and shoulder are automatically involved in hand-mouse movements while fine motor activity (agility) of user's fingers, especially an index finger and a middle finger, is limited in moving mouse. In the publication WO 00/60536, the concept is developed further wherein: “A mouse has sufficient width to support the distal phalanges of a user's ring finger and little finger”.
Despite the fact that, localizing a point/area/object on the computer display, i.e., moving a mouse, is the primary action, which demands much more skillfulness and concentration from a user, prior mouse designs are dictated by the secondary action, i.e., depressing a mouse button. However, in practice, a user unconsciously or intuitively tries to use the fine motor activity of the fingers, in particularly, the thumb and the ring or little finger, for pinching the mouse in order to shift the same forward and backward by stretching or flexing the fingers, and correspondingly, to move cursor on the screen in the vertical direction. Even for horizontal cursor movement, the same fingers may be used for turning the mouse around the vertical axis, thereby providing movement of the incorporated track ball or optical sensor to the right or to the left. The last trend shows that manufactures have recently begun to shape mice in forms, which are adapted for ergonomically gripping the mouse between the thumb and ring or little fingers, whereby the thumb and ring or little finger are used for shifting the mouse forward and backward by stretching or flexing the same fingers.
The growing size of computer displays and saturation of modern computer applications with toolbars, which are usually placed on edges of the screen frame, force a user to operations with the mouse like scrolling. That is, during operations by achieving maximum radial or ulnar wrist deviation the user must lift up the mouse above the working surface in order to freeze the pointer position on the screen while deviating the wrist back into neutral position and then drop the mouse onto the working surface to carry on moving the pointer further. Note that radial deviation is wrist rotation toward the thumb and ulnar deviation is wrist rotation toward the little finger. The software developed for mouse operations with high settings for pointer movement and its acceleration, when the mouse is moved faster, which might reduce the above mentioned type of operations, remains useless and mostly could be used at standard, low range settings because the user has significant difficulties in fine positioning of the pointer at high range above the mentioned settings when the mouse is operated by wrist and/or arm motions. A revolutionary new optical sensor for measuring even the smallest mouse movement cannot give the user much more accuracy and control in positioning cursor on the screen if, as before, the mouse would be operated by user wrist/arm movements.
By way of further background, a reported cause of carpal tunnel syndrome is improper use of a computer mouse. With a conventional such mouse the users can develop bad habits that may predispose them to development or aggravation of carpal tunnel syndrome. These bad habits can include using excessive wrist angles to position the mouse instead of using the user's fingers, such as placing the wrist flat on the desk surface with the wrist bent back at an angle greater than fifteen degrees, and pronation (inward rotation) of the wrist past a normal angle with fingers spread to reach around mouse body and then gripping the mouse tightly with the hand in any of those positions. Finger motion (clicking) is believed to potentially irritate the tissues and nerves in the carpal tunnel. Indiscriminate use of wrist or arm braces can exacerbate the effects.
Publication WO 01/01335 A1 discloses using the middle and the ring fingers to push the mouse forward, when stretched against a well that is arranged in the front part of the mouse. The form of the mouse and the well, and positioning of the buttons provide the positioning of the user's fingers on the mouse as follows: “During operations, the thumb is placed in the indentation on the left side of the mouse, the index finger along the push-button on the top ridge, the third and fourth fingers in the well and fifth finger along the right side, in touch with the working surface.” By this positioning of the user's fingers, the weight of the user's hand is automatically loaded on the mouse and pushing the mouse by merely stretching two fingers seems to not be ergonomically relevant.
Operating a mouse in the way described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,034,627 as: “by using merely fingers without adapting to the size and shape of a human's palm” by means of a through hole formed on the housing in which an index finger is accommodated” forces a user in any case to grip or squeez the mouse likewise, such as a pencil grip. However, by using the pencil grip, the user will position the mouse using the forearm and arm for gross positioning and the fingers and wrist for fine motion. The user will thus move the mouse with shoulder and forearm muscles for gross X-Y coordinate GUI pointer positioning. Note that all these operations are associated with permanent gripping efforts of the user's fingers.
Today, to use a modern computer system more efficiently, a user needs a mouse with more than two or three buttons; these types of mice are now mostly in practice. There are numerous new types of mice with additional buttons, which are capable of actuation by a user's thumb or a ring finger on the market. However, operating this type of mice demands from a user more concentration and coordination. thus, they are uncomfortable or difficult to use, especially for relatively long period of time.
There is a shortcoming of existing products. Thus, an improved mouse is needed that is more comfortable and easier to use, that will minimize any fatigue experienced by a user while allowing for moving mouse with using the fine motor activity of the fingers of the user, especially the index and middle fingers, and that has additional buttons, which can be actuated with the same fingers. In contrast, the disclosed embodiment of a new mouse design in the example below induces a more natural and better hand and wrist position, provides easy and natural operation, discourages severe wrist deviation and forearm and arm motions, and encourages good hand and finger movement habits.